Wherever You Are
by Med Bajer
Summary: Legolas's POV after Aragorn "took a little tumble off the cliff". Non-Slash... Please read!


Wherever You Are  
  
Author: Med Bajer  
  
Email: med_bajer@hotmail.com mailto:med_bajer@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: A songfic. A little close-up on Legolas's emotions after Aragorn went over the cliff in TTT. I cannot write summaries. Argh.  
  
Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to their respectful owners. The song "Wherever You Are" belongs to the rightful owner as well. Don't sue me, I'm only 13 years old.  
  
Note: I'm quite aware of the fact that when Aragorn "took a little tumble off the cliff", he was gone for only a while, and was back in the same day. But please grant me the artistic license to write that he was gone for a night instead, and returned later the next day. Thanks!  
  
Once again, it is yet another 10 minute fic written by me, Med Bajer. Mwahaha. It cant compare to some of the other wonderful things written by you all. I feel soooo ashamed of my pathetic writing skills. *Cries* Anywayz, enjoy!  
  
  


Legolas stared down at the fierce churning water of the river below him. _He is dead, took a little tumble off the cliff._ The ugly words, followed by the harsh laughter of the Orc, echoed in his mind.  
  
The waters were a dark shade of blue, and they rolled ever onwards, stopping for nobody and nothing, throwing itself repeatedly against the rocky sides of the cliff. Legolas's heart sank within him as he watched the churning mass. Even if Aragorn had survived the drop down, he probably would have been thrown against the rocks mercilessly along with the waves, his life breaking along with his body.  
  
The survivors of the battle were starting to clear up the area, preparing to leave and continue the journey to Helms' Deep. But Legolas heard nothing. He saw nothing. He felt nothing. All he knew of now was the numbness of his mind, and the piercing ache in his heart. 

How could he? How could Aragorn leave those people, the people that needed his leadership? How could Aragorn leave his family like this, falling into those deep evil waters without a farewell to them? How could Aragorn leave Arwen, when she had given up so much for him?  
  
The last thought left a stinging sensation in his eyes: how could Aragorn leave _him_? How could his best friend leave him just like that, when he knew he was already alone, without a single one of his own being with him?  
  
Tears edged the Elf's eyes and he fiercely swiped them away. No, he could not cry. Not now, not in front of these men who did not and would not understand the pain he was going through.  
  
"Leave the dead." Theoden's voice came to him from somewhere very distant.  
  
Once the sentence registered itself in Legolas's mind, he turned a murderous stare onto the King. Theoden could not meet the intense gaze, and he turned to walk away. Legolas clenched his fists and tried to control his hurried breathing.  
  
A swirl of emotions rushed through him. Disbelief, intense grief, and anger played in his mind until he just wanted to drop and cry from the stress he suddenly felt. He heard Gimli walked up behind him, heard the Dwarf say to him softly, "they're moving on, Legolas. You'd best follow as well."  
  
The Elf did not turn, but he heard his friend slowly leave. "Don't wait up for me, I'll go to Helms' Deep on my own. I have to do something first," he called out to the Dwarf.  
  
~*~  
  
Legolas stumbled into the strong fortress, his clothes thoroughly soaked, and water dripping off his fine golden hair. Night had fallen for about an hour or so, and he still had not found Aragorn, whether the human was dead or alive.  
  
Not looking at anybody, he slowly headed up the steps. All around him, the people of Rohan saw him and sighed, for the sight of such a fair being in such mortal grief brought yet another shadow over their already disheartened souls.  
  
~*~  
  
_Come out moon  
  
Come out wishing star  
  
Come out, come out  
  
wherever you are_  
  
The night was almost half-gone. The people of the Deep had already drifted into slumber, except for the guards upon the battlements. The people slept peacefully for once in many years, knowing that they were safe, and they were being guarded.  
  
And yet there was another one that did not sleep, and he was the only one who had no peace of mind. Legolas sat upon the roof of the highest tower in Helms' Deep, unnoticed by all save for the stars that framed the Moon.  
  
His heart was long weary of the extreme loneliness one felt when one was among those who were not of his kindred. His soul felt heavy with sorrow and grief and loss, and he felt so tired that the Elf just wanted to lie down and sleep forever.  
  
He had not found Aragorn. Earlier that day, he had combed every possible shore downstream, and even those upstream, hoping to find his friend, but to no avail. Even when he had given up almost all hope and was ready to concede that Aragorn was dead, he still searched.  
  
The thought tore his very heart apart, but the least he knew he could do was to find the body of the human and give it a decent burial, or even bear it back to his family if he had to. The Elf was willing to do all that, and even more, but Fate granted him no such opportunity.  
  
Legolas shivered slightly; the night air was cold, and the fact that his clothes were damp did not help at all. He had searched every bank, even going up to the extent of diving into the shallow parts of the river, but he had not found a single thing.  
  
He sighed and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his head on them. Silently, he let his tears flow. His entire being felt so hollow, he felt that the only thing he had within him right now was grief and tears.  
  
_I'm out here in the dark  
  
All alone and wide awake  
  
Come and find me  
  
I'm empty and I'm cold  
  
And my heart's about to break  
  
Come and find me  
  
_For any mortal, a lifespan of slightly less than three thousand years would have been more than ancient, but Legolas was an Elf. In Elven terms, he was only slightly more than a child. And now he felt more like the lost, confused child than he was an ancient being.  
  
He now felt more alone than ever, now that his most trusted friend had been lost to the river and his kin were deserting their former allies. Legolas felt so tired, tired of it all. 

Why couldn't that old feud just end? Did they not understand? If the Eldar and Edain did not come to understand their differences, they would be driven apart even more. And then Sauron could wreck his evil upon every corner of the land. The pain in his heart that had subsided to a throb now returned again, a searing bolt of fire. Did the Elves not care about Middle-Earth anymore? It was their home, and all that they possessed were in it. Why did they not care?  
  
"How I wish you were here now, Strider," he whispered to the wind, his voice hoarse with emotion. For one of the first times in his life, Legolas looked vulnerable. His form was hunched over and curled up in a tight ball, and the moonlight reflected upon his face, showing his eternal youth, making him seem, for all his wisdom, young. And perhaps even too young.  
  
Slowly, he felt his eyes close with all the exhaustion and stress of the day, and for once he did nothing to stop it. He wanted those few precious hours of rest when he could just sink into oblivion and forget those world- weary issues for a while.  
  
_And maybe_, he thought to himself through the sleep that was starting to enshroud him, _maybe I could see Strider for one last time in my dreams, and bid a farewell to him, if he is really gone._  
  
_I need you to come here and find me  
  
'Cos without you I'm totally lost  
  
I've hung a wish on every star  
  
It hasn't done much good so far  
  
I can only dream of you  
  
Wherever you are_

  
  
_Those eyes. Those familiar grey eyes. They belonged to Aragorn. Then the mist faded, and he saw his friend standing there just before him. "Aragorn!" He cried, and his heart lifted with the unspeakable joy he felt.  
  
But then, as he reached out a hand to touch him, the human backed away, smiling and laughing. He started forward again, both hands outstretched, confused. "Aragorn?"  
  
Aragorn only laughed again, laughed his familiar laugh and smiled his familiar smile. Suddenly Legolas felt sad. Why was it that he could see and hear his friend, yet not feel him?  
  
Again he tried to reach out for his friend, and again the Ranger eluded his grasp. The smile and laughter had not left though, but now Legolas felt horrible inside. Why? Why was his best friend eluding him so?  
  
"Why?" He asked out loud, "why?"  
  
There was only a smile, and even though Aragorn did not seem to speak, Legolas heard his voice in his head, I'm no longer here, mellon nin, and that is why you cannot feel me.  
  
The confusion was replaced with heart-breaking disbelief and grief. "No, no! It's not true! It's not true! You can't be dead, Estel! You can't be! It isn't true!"  
  
There was now a silence, although the smile was still there on his friend's face. The voice echoed in his mind, I'm not here, Legolas.  
_  
"No!" The Elf awoke from the dream with a start, breathing heavily as perspiration poured down his face despite the chill around him.  
  
_I'll hear you laugh  
  
I'll see you smile  
  
I'll be with you  
  
Just for a while But when the morning comes  
  
And the sun begins to rise  
  
I will lose you  
  
Because it's just a dream  
  
When I open up my eyes  
  
I will lose you  
_  
He reached out a hand hesitatingly, and quickly withdrew it again. "Where...?" He asked, bewildered with grief, "...Why?"  
  
The stars only twinkled in reply.  
  
Slowly, as though still in his dream, Legolas lowered his hand again. It was still nighttime, but his time, the moon high up in the inky blackness did nothing to soothe his reeling thoughts. Flexing his fists, he opened and closed them over and over again, as though he was trying to hold on to the fading memories of that dream. That smile, that laugh, that voice...  
  
The moonlight illuminated the faint tear tracks on the Elf's fair face. He hated being immortal, having to face the fact that he would lose all that he had one day and be forced to watch them all go away. He hated the fact that being immortal sometimes made him take things for granted, such as Aragorn. Forever now seemed like such a naïve term to him.  
  
_I used to believe in forever  
  
But forever's too good to be true  
  
I've hung a wish on every star  
  
It hasn't done much good so far  
  
I don't know what else to do  
  
Except to try to dream of you. And I wonder if you are dreaming too  
  
Wherever you are  
_  
It was going to be dawn soon. The faint rays of the sun were already tingeing the sky ever so slightly. Legolas brushed the tears from the corner of his eyes as he scanned the dim horizon. Already, he thought he saw a glimpse of the massive black army heading for them.  
  
But was Aragorn really gone? Legolas's heart never had accepted that fact, and now he felt it beat with renewed hope. It is a new day, a new war. Aragorn will come. He would not miss it for the world.  
  
The odds were high, and they were all against his beliefs, but the Evenstar was clutched tightly in his hand, and Legolas felt the solid coolness of it against his palm.  
  
"Strider my friend, if you can hear me now, wherever you are, please come back here. The people of Rohan need you, and King Theoden needs you too." He lowered his head for a moment, glanced at the Evenstar, and then raised his head again, and finished with one last sentence. "And I need you too."  
  
The instincts deep within him somehow told the Elf that his friend was still alive, somewhere and somehow. All Aragorn needed right now was something to guide him back. Legolas smiled to the sunrise and he said, "May your heart guide you back here, back to us, and back home, my friend, for you are so important to us. Hurry and return, Strider. My bow and your sword have yet to gleam alongside each other in this war. I will be waiting."  
  
_Wherever you are.___


End file.
